Packing casing head



Nov. 14, 1933. A. s. HEGGEM 1,935,027

PACKING CASING HEAD Filed Oct. 31, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 14, 1933. GE 1,935,027

@ACKING CASING HEAD Filed Oct. 51, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 14, 1933 1,935,027 meme CASING HEAD Alfred G. Heggem, Tulsa,'0kla.

Application October 31, 1930. Serial No. 492,561

3 Claims.

My invention relates to a packing casing head for suspending the concentric strings of casing for oil wells and for controlling the gas pressure between adjacent strings of casing so as to pre- 5 vent the occurrence of blow-outs.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a packing casing head, the parts whereof are formed and related so that a plurality of inner strings of casing may be supported in con- 19 centric relation. or any of the intermediate strings may be omitted without an impairment of efficiency of the casing head. It is also an object of the invention to provide a packing casing head constructed with suitable packing means to pack off against the outer surface of an inner string of casing where it is not desired to cut-the casing and thread a collar thereon.

The principal feature of the invention consists in providing a packing casing head for oil 20 wells with a series of casing supporting devices arranged one above another and each encircling and supporting an individual string of casing, said devices providing successive tongue and groove connections between them, packing being .25 disposed in the grooves for the respective tongues employed to suspend a plurality of strings of cas- 40 ing of the several sizes commonly used.

Figure 2 is a view, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section, on the lines 2-2, Figure 1, of the construction shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 33, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 3 but showing the manner of suspending an inner string of easing when one or more intermediate strings are omitted, and also illustrating the manner of packing ofi against the exterior of an inner string of casing when the latter projects upwardly through the casing head.

The several strings of easing are supported in concentric relation by a series of devices arranged 65 vertically in superposed relation, each of the devices encircling and supporting an individual string of casing and being itself supported by the casing supporting device next below it. The lowermost casing supporting device may be advantageously formed as a ring or flange member 1 which is usually installed in a cellar beneath the derrick floor of the oil well and which may be supported in any well-known or desired manner. To enable it to support the outer string of casing 2, it may be threaded upon its interior, as at 3, for cooperation with the correspondingly threaded upper end of the well casing. For receiving bolts 4 by which the several casing supporting devices are secured against vertical separation, the base ring 1 is preferably formed at its periphery with a series of radial slots 5 which are suitably enlarged at their lower ends to accommodate the heads of the bolts. To provide for a tongue and groove connection with the casing supporting device immediately above it, the ring 1 which supports the outer string of casing is preferably formed on its upper side with a circular flange 6 which is concentric with the casing receiving opening in the member 1. The circular tongue 6 enters a corresponding downwardly opening circular groove 7 with which the casing supporting device next above it is provided. Suitable packing 8 is disposed in the groove 7 so as to be compressed therein by the tongue 6 to thereby seal the joint between these casing supporting devices.

As shown particularly in Figure 3 of the drawings, each of the casing supporting devices above that which supports the outer string of casing 2 is provided with a groove '7 adapted to receive the upwardly extending circular tongue 6 of the member 1. By this means the bottom casing support may be assembled with any of the casing supporting devices above it, thus permitting any intermediate string or strings of casing to be omitted without afiecting the efficiency of the casing head.

The inner strings of easing, 9, 10, 11 and 12 respectively, are each individually associated with a casing supporting device preferably compris ing a packing head member 13, casing collar 14 and a plurality of split ring-shaped packing followers 15 between which packing 16 is interposed. Each casing collar 14 is of a size appropriate to the diameter of the string of casing it supports, and the central opening in the packing head member 13 associated therewith is of suitable size to receive such casing collar and the corresponding packing folowers 15.

Each packing head member 13 is formed as a ring provided with one or more fluid outlet passages 1'7 communicating with the axial opening in the ring through which the adjacent casing collar 14 extends. To afford convenient means for anchoring the casing head against upward movement, each packing head member 13 is preferably formedwith oppositely disposed radial projecting anchor lugs 18 which may conveniently be fashioned as grooved or beaded bosses through which the fluid outlet passages 1'7 extend, said bosses being threaded interiorly for connection with pipes through which the fluid may flow to storage tanks or the like. The flow of the fluid through the pipes iscontrolled by suitable valves in the usual manner. Anchor bolts 19 pass around the lugs 18 and are suitably secured at their lower ends. One or more sets of anchor bolts may be used in cooperation with the anchor lugs 18 as may be necessary or desired.

Above the inner ends of its fluid outlet passages 17 each of the packing head members 13 is formed on its interior with an upwardly facing shoulder 20 which is preferably bevelled so as to incline downwardly toward the axis of the adjacent casing collar 14. This bevelled shoulder forms a seat for the two-part bevelled follower ring 15 between which and the similar upper follower ring 15, the packing 16 is interposed. The casing collar 14 forming an element of each of the casing supporting devices is formed with a downwardly facing exterior bevelled shoulder 21 which is seated upon the correspondingly beveled upwardly facing shoulder 22 of the upper packing follower ring 15 immediately below it. Each casing collar is threaded on its interior to permit it to be secured to the correspondingly threaded upper end of the immediately adjacent inner string of casing; and the upper end of each collar 14 projects upwardly beyond the encircling packing head member 13 to provide an annular tongue or flange 23 which enters a corresponding downwardly opening circular groove 24 with which the packing head member 13 just above it is provided. Located within the grooves 24 so as to be compressed by the respective tongues 23 of the casing collars 14 is suitable packing material 25. Each of the packing head members 13, except the lowermost one is, as shown, provided on its under surface with a plurality of concentric grooves, the outermost one '7 of which is adapted to receive the upstanding circular tongue 6 on the base member 1 of the packing casing head and the innermost one 24 of which is adapted to receive the upper end of one of the casing collars 14. In addition to the grooves 7 and 24 certain of the packing head members 13 are provided with similar intermediate grooves 26, each adapted to receive the tongue at the upper end of one of the casing collars, the number of grooves with which each packing head member is provided corresponding to the number of tongues 6 and 23 which are below it.

The uppermost member or anchor flange 27 is of ring-like form and the inner string of casing 12 extends therethrough. It is grooved or recessed on its lower surface, as at 28, for receiving the tongue 23 of the uppermost casing col lar 14 and it is provided with openings 29 for receiving the corresponding bolts 4. As shown in Figure 4, the groove 28 with which the uppermost ring 2'7 of the packing casing head is provided is also adapted to receive the adjacent portion of the upper one of two split follower rings 30 which may be substituted for the packing follower nings 15 and the uppermost 051511 5 29 .1%?

14 when it is not .desired to cut the casing and thread a collar thereon. Packing material 31 which is interposed between the packing follower rings 30 is compressed by the latter against the adjacent inner string of casing 12, thus packing off the space between the innermost string of casing and the next outer string of casing.

In assembling the packing casing head, the ring-like casing supporting device 1 is screwed on to the upper end of the outer string of easing 2 and is seated upon its support in the cellar beneath the derrick floor of the oil well. The lowermost packing head member 13 is then seated upon the bottom ring member 1 and the casing collar 14 which is to be secured to the upper end of the immediately adjacent string of easing 9 is then screwed on to the lower end of a joint or section of easing which serves as an elevator joint permitting the casing collar to be lowered and screwed on to the upper end of the casing 9. The casing collar is then elevated until its exterior downwardly facing shoulder 21 is above the upper surface of the encircling packing head member 13. The two-part follower rings 15 with the interposed packing 16 are then placed in 1 position. After this the string of casing 9 is lowered-to seat the casing collar 14 upon the packing follower ring 15 which is above the packing 16, thus causing the weight of the string of casing to compress the packing and thereby form a fluid tight joint between the casing collar 14 and the encircling packing head member 13. The elevator joint is then unscrewed from the casing collar. This process is repeated for each of the several casing supporting devices and the upper ring or anchor member 2'1 is then put in place and secured to the bottom ring member by means of the bolts 4. As will be appreciated from Figure 4 of the drawings, the construction is such that one, two or three intermediate strings of easing may be omitted without impairing the efliciency of the packing casing head, for all of the casing supporting devices are adapted to cooperate directly with each other.

I claim:

-1. A packing casing head for oil wells, said head involving a series of casing supporting devices arranged one above another, each of said devices respectively encircling and serving to support an individual string of casing, each of said devices being provided with an annular tongue adapted to enter a groove in each of said devices which are above it, said tongues being at different heights and of different diameters and arranged in concentric spaced relation, and each of said devices being respectively provided with grooves corresponding in number and concentric relation to the said tongues which are below it.

2. A packing casing head for oil wells, said head involving a plurality of easing supporting devices arranged one above another, each of said devices being adapted to encircle and support an individual string of casing and comprising an interiorly shouldered packing head member having a vertically extending opening therethrough and a fluid outlet communicating with said opening,

a casing collar having a downwardly facing exterior shoulder and an upwardly projecting tongue, a plurality of packing followers within shoulder of the packing head member, and said shoulder of the casing collar being seated upon the other of said packing followers, each of said packing head members being provided on its under side with a groove adapted to receive the said tongue or the lower ring member and each upwardly succeeding packing head member being provided on its under side with an increased number of grooves respectively corresponding to the said tongues. t

3. A packing casing head for oil wells, said head involving a series of casing supporting devices arranged one above another, each of said devices respectively adapted to encircle and support an individual string of casing, a ring mem ber disposed above. said casing supporting devices and having an opening therein to permit a string of easing supported by the adjacent one of said devices to extend therethrough, the said device which is adjacent said ring having a member shouldered on its interior and provided with an opening for receiving a plurality oi packing followers through which said string of casing is adapted to extend, a plurality of split ring packing followers, one of said followers being seated upon said shoulder and one being engageable by a casing collar 01 the adjacent string of casing, packing interposed between said packing tollowers, and means for forcing said ring member downwardly to compress said packing between said followers.

ALFRED G. HEGGEM. 

